A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a table editor for text processing and spread sheet processing, and more particularly a table editor that allows rows or columns to be inserted into or deleted from a table in a user-friendly manner.
B. Prior Art
In text processing and spread sheet processing, there often arise occasions in which it is necessary to insert or delete rows or columns in order to edit an existing table. In conventional techniques, as in Microsoft's MULTIPLAN Version 2, it is usual to first pick a cell or box with a pointing device such as a mouse device, then to select either insertion or deletion, and then to specify the number of rows or columns. Thus, one or more rows or columns are inserted just under or at the right of the picked cell.
Almost the same technique applies on occasions when deletion is done. However, in such an arrangement, the user must know in advance where those rows or columns are inserted with respect of the picked cell, and therefore an inexperienced user might insert the rows in an incorrect position, or one line below. In such a mistake the rows could be inserted above the cell being picked Also, since the user is apt to confuse rows with columns, the user may select the wrong one. It is unadvisable to require the user to specify rows or columns, or R's or C's.
Patent applications relating to the present invention include a method wherein a starting point and an end point of a line are specified, and the line is drawn or deleted between them, thereby inserting or deleting rows (Published Unexamined Patent application No. 60-2514743); and a method wherein a point on an already drawn line is specified, then a direction is specified, and then another line beginning at the point in the line is generated to the outer frame (Published Unexamined Patent application No. 62-237494). However, these publications include no techniques for inserting or deleting rows or columns into or from a table in a user-friendly manner.
C. Problem to be Solved by the Present Invention
This invention, which is presented here with due consideration for the above-stated background, is intended to provide a user-friendly table creating system that is simple and definite in the designation of an inserting location and causes no confusion between rows and columns.